A grant of 4,250,000 frances to aid the Jews of Tunisia was announced today by the Joint Distribution Committee. The action supplements emergency assistance given to the Jewish as well as to the general population of Tunisia by the Office of Foreign Relief and Rehabilitation Operations, beginning within a few days after the Axis defeat.
“Heavy fines and other discriminatory measures imposed by the Axis during the occupation of Tunisia have left the Jewish communities there almost entirely “With the loss of their property and bank accounts, coupled with the ruin brought to their homes and businesses, the Tunisian Jews have found themselves financially unable to undertake the reconstruction of their communities. Prompt and effective emergency help was given them by the OFRRO. The Joint Distribution Committee has been called upon to supplement this aid and to assist in the development of a longrange rehabilitation program.”
American representatives of the Joint Distribution Committee have just completed a preliminary survey of Jewish needs in Tunisia. The first measure taken by the J.D.C. following the survey was the organization of a Central Relief Committee in Tunis, composed of leading local Jewish residents. Among the acute problems the new committee will face is the situation of 1,800 evacuees from Bizerte, of whom 1,200 are being temporarily housed in four school buildings of the Jewish community in Tunis. In the provinces many Jews are living under the most crowded conditions, without sanitation or the most elementary hygienic requirements.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.